LISBON, Feb 8, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Portugal began voting in the second round of a presidential election on Sunday, with the far right in the run-off and the country battered by deadly storms.

While outspoken far-right leader Andre Ventura is almost certain to be beaten by Socialist candidate Antonio Jose Seguro, the far-right score will be watched closely, as will the latest of a series of fierce gales that have swept in off the Atlantic since the start of the year.

Polling stations opened at 8:00 am (0800 GMT), with 11 million voters at home and abroad eligible to cast their ballots. First exit polls are expected around 8:00 pm.

Despite an improvement in the weather overnight from Saturday to Sunday, at least 14 of the most affected constituencies have postponed voting for nearly 32,000 people by one week.

The storms have killed at least five people, triggered flooding and left an estimated four billion euros ($4.7 billion) in damage.

But Ventura's call to postpone the whole vote has been rejected.

He trails 63-year-old Seguro, a veteran political operator. One opinion poll on Wednesday put the Socialist on 67 percent.

Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said the storms had caused a "devastating crisis" but that the threats to voting could be overcome.

The last presidential election went ahead five years ago despite the coronavirus pandemic, outgoing president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said he had told Ventura on Friday.